Council to Rama: Explain your SB2 ‘stupid’ remark

CEBU, Philippines - The City Council wants Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to explain and clarify his derogatory statement naming the councilors “stupid” after the body slashed Supplemental Budget (SB) 2 to more than half of the amount the executive department proposed.

“Recently, Mayor Rama accused us, the City Council, of being stupid, buta, bungol (blind, deaf), and lately even guilty of unabashed display of act of tyranny and seeming abuse of power,” said City Council Majority Floor Leader Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, in a privilege speech.

 â€œWe would like to assure the mayor that we are neither deaf nor are we blind, and especially not stupid. We are performing our duty not as an exercise of power but in the fulfillment of our responsibility and obligation towards the people of Cebu City,” she said.

 Rama originally proposed a budget of P256.87 million but the council approved only P109.46, or just 42 percent of the original figure.

After the council sent the slashed budget to the executive department for ratification, Rama signed the budget but included a statement lambasting the council when SB 2 was returned to the Sanggunian Panglungsod.

 â€œWe lament, however, the City Council’s unabashed display of act of tyranny and seeming abuse of power when the August Body arbitrarily reduced the proposed budget to less than one-half of the proposed amount,” read the letter. 

 Margot said the mayor’s comments were published in the local dailies and aired over radio stations on Oct. 19, four days after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and Cebu.

She said “name-calling is uncalled for and unbecoming of our local chief executive”.

 However, Rama’s ally City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, responded that “it was only his (Rama) expression or it was just taken out of context”.

Because the councilors were “insulted”, City Councilor Eugenio Andales made a motion “asking the mayor to have a public apology to all the Sangguniang Panlungsod for labeling them ‘stupid’”.

His request, however, was amended by another motion by City Councilor Noel Wenceslao, who said that the mayor should just “make a clarification or explanation on the statement”.

Margot also asked Rama to refrain from personal insults and that they should respect each other despite their political differences.

“We would like to respectfully request mayor Rama to refrain from personal insults. After all, the SB was approved by all members of the council including the minority (who are his allies),” she said.

 â€œWhatever differences we may have are but part and parcel of the checks and balances that are provided for in a supposedly healthy democratic system that we are all observing,” she added

Asked for his comment, Rama refused to back off.

“Kanang tyrant that’s referring to somebody close to them (14 Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan councilors), not me,” he said obviously referring to former mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña, whom Rama defeated in the elections last May.

“Why will I be apologizing?  For what? Why are they asking me to explain? I am not under them,” Rama said.

 â€œI have been offended long time ago by them; I should be the one asking them to explain. They are already professional enough; (they should) try to retrospect what they have been doing to me as the mayor,” he added.

 Rama said there is nothing wrong when you call someone stupid considering that it is just a comment.

 â€œWhat’s wrong when you call somebody as ‘stupid’? If there is something wrong, then you can say it is stupid, especially things that are not in accord with you(r position).  So you can say stupid act or stupid thing; what’s wrong with that?” the mayor said.

 He advised the BOPK city councilors not to be an “onion-skinned”.

 â€œAyaw sila pahilas-hilasa nga na-offended sila. They should be ready as I have been ready….; so they should be ready with my reaction,” Rama said.

 Margot, who heads the council committee on budget and finance, said that in approving the slashed supplemental budget, “we were guided by the fact that a supplemental budget is funded by supplemental funds.”

“To put it simply, this is common sense, we can only spend what we actually have,” she said.

  Meanwhile, the city council will start its budget hearing and deliberation on the City Government’s 2014 annual budget Monday next week

City Hall’s department heads were all invited to explain and defend their respective appropriations.

Rama said it is okay for the city council to invite the department head to answer queries, but warned the body not to “put them into a trial”.— (FREEMAN)